Chapter 22 Beyond The Final Gate

Thick and suffocating, the oppressive hush filled the room. The burning embers of Alex’s dying bonfire barely illuminated the weathered temple walls. All the glowing runes pulsed ominously; their flickering shadows seemed to have lives of their own, watching. The rest of them had just gone through the world’s worst ordeal, and close beside Alex was Mara, breathing easy. She was his mooring, a reminder of what he was fighting for.